AL SB340

Amends Alabama's Underground Damage Prevention Program to require utility operators to physically mark underground facility locations, eliminating the option to respond to locate requests by simply providing descriptions or allowing inspection of facility records

Operators must prioritize and complete any design or survey locate request that remains incomplete after 20 calendar days before processing any other locate requests or facility markings

Operators become liable for all project delay costs incurred by requestors when locate requests remain incomplete 30 or more calendar days after submission to the One-Call Notification System

Contract locators are prohibited from closing locate requests in the One-Call system; only operators may close requests, and only after field-verifying that facilities have been marked

Effective date: October 1, 2026